At least eight people were killed Wednesday after a ferry carrying more than 200 people sank in the waters off Indonesia's Sumatra island after colliding with a cargo tanker, officials said.

At least eight people were killed Wednesday after a ferry carrying more than 200 people sank in the waters off Indonesia's Sumatra island after colliding with a cargo tanker, officials said.

The KM Bahuga Jaya had set sail from Merak port in West Java to Sumatra island before the collision early Wednesday, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

"So far, 207 were rescued alive, eight died," he said.

Transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan earlier said the vessel was loaded with manned vehicles such as trucks, cars and motorcycles.

Such accidents are common in Indonesia, where ships and boats have a poor safety record and where the 240-million population is scattered over a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.